Page 87 of Gods of Prey
Sebastian stands tall, his arm securely around Jovie, who looks overwhelmed but resolute. By the grace of all the fallen gods, she’s already completed the first round of tests and been deemed worthy enough to move forward.
Erebus waits in the shadows, his dark eyes fixed on Sienna with undisguised concern. Her closest friend in Umbraeth, watching over her as always.
“We accept your challenge,” Sebastian says, his voice carrying the authority of the God of Life even after his prolonged absence. “What would you have us do?”
The council’s collective gaze sweeps over us. “Each of you shall face a trial tailored to their weakness. Pass, and the new order may stand. Fail, and the original punishment resets. You’ll be responsible for serving another fifty lifetimes.”
A cold dread settles in my stomach. Fifty more lifetimes of death and rebirth for Sebastian and Sienna. Fifty more chances for the balance to collapse entirely.
Don’t they see the risk they’re taking?
“Sebastian, God of Life,” the council continues, “you abandoned your realm for love. Your test is to demonstrate that your divine duties will never again be neglected.”
Sebastian nods, his jaw tight. “I understand.”
“Jovie, mortal who desires to become immortal, you must prove you can withstand the burden of eternity without fracturing your mind or soul.”
Jovie swallows visibly but meets their gaze. “I’m ready.”
The council shifts their attention to Sienna. “Goddess of Death, you chose loyalty to your brother over your sacred duty. You must prove you can rule Umbraeth with impartiality, regardless of personal attachments.”
Sienna’s chin lifts slightly, her lip twitching in protest. “I will.”
Then their overwhelming presence focuses on me, and I feel laid bare under their scrutiny.
“Revel, interim God of Life who would walk between realms, your loyalties are divided between duty and desire. You must prove where your true allegiance lies.”
An icy chill runs through me. They know. Of course, they know about my feelings for Sienna. Feelings I’ve barely admitted to myself since the other night I got drunk and said too much.Didtoo much.
Feelings we’ve both pretended don’t exist.
“When do we begin?” I ask, my voice steadier than I feel.
The council’s energy pulses. “Now.”
The chamber dissolves around us, and I’m suddenly alone in a void of swirling mist. The tests have begun.
My test materializes as a path through an endless forest. Trees stretch impossibly high above me, their trunks wider than houses, their canopies lost in the clouds. Life energy pulses through everything. In the soil beneath my feet, the insects buzzing around me, the very air I breathe.
A voice—not the council’s, but somehow familiar—whispers through the leaves: “Follow the path to its end. Choose correctly at each divergence.”
I begin walking. The forest is beautiful in a way that aches, reminiscent of the sacred groves in Aurelys that I’ve tended in Sebastian’s absence. But there’s something different here. A wildness untamed by divine hand. Life in its most primal form.
Soon, I reach the first fork in the path. To the left, a golden trail winds through sun-dappled trees bearing fruit so perfect, they seem almost artificial. To the right, a darker path leads through gnarled roots and mushroom-spotted shadows.
Instinctively, I start toward the golden path. It calls to me as a servant of Life. But then I pause.
This is too obvious. The council wouldn’t make it so simple.
So, I take the path to the right.
As I venture deeper into the shadowed woods, I notice small creatures watching me from hollow logs and burrows, their eyes gleaming and all too knowing. Death is present here. Not as an enemy of Life, but as its partner. Without death, these woods would choke on their own abundance.
Balance. That’s what this is about.
I continue until I reach another division. This time, three paths stretch before me. The first climbs upward toward bright light. The second continues straight through balanced light and shadow. The third descends into darkness so complete, I can’t see what lies ahead.
I consider each option carefully. The upward path represents Aurelys and my duties there. The downward path must symbolize Umbraeth and...Sienna.
